


Jemma Baby struggle

by ThePurpleWarlock



Category: The Dark Artifices Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Friendship, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-05-28 23:05:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15059780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePurpleWarlock/pseuds/ThePurpleWarlock
Summary: Written with @reaadwriteswim of Tumblr. Jules and Emma try for a baby, but suffer miscarriages and heartbreak along the way





	1. Chapter 1

Helen and Aline had returned from Wrangle Island, and the family had found themselves listening to embarrassing stories of each other. Helen, being the oldest had told the most, claiming she had “older sister privileges” which allowed her to do so. When Tavvy had pointed out Jules had told stories, despite not being a sister, his response had simply been “Dad privileges” and not a single person had questioned it.

That night, Emma had held Jules a bit tighter, knowing how much it had pained him to be more of a father to his siblings than a brother. In their shared silence, Emma asked “would you like to be a Dad?” Causing Jules to turn and look at her, eyes wide and ask “are you?” But wasn’t able to quite finish the sentence. Emma shook her head, before saying “no, Jules I’m not pregnant. But… would you like to be a Dad?”

Jules shifted their position, so that he was sitting, with Emma on his lap facing him. “I don’t want much in life Em you know that. But one of the few things I do want in life is the chance to have a child, a child with you. If Raziel could allow me that? You don’t know how much that would mean to me Em” he said quietly before softly kissing Emma on the lips, one hand on her thigh, another at the nape of her neck, cradling her head.

“Angel knows I love you Em” Jules said as his hands slid down to the Hem of her top, and his lips kissed along her jaw and down her neck. He was about to give her top a tug to remove it when he stopped, removed his lips from her skin and looked her in the eye asking “Em…you want this right? You aren’t doing this just for me are you?” And she could see the care and concern in his eyes. No matter how much he wanted a child with her, she knew he’d never push it onto her, he’d only continue if it was something she also wanted.

Initially she hadn’t been sure, but there was something about Jules’s love and enthusiasm about the idea of having a child that had been contagious. It made her realise that Jules wasn’t the only one who wanted a child, she wanted one as well, wanted one with Jules. Resting her forehead on his, she said “I want this Jules. For me and for you” before pressing her lips to his. This time Jules didn’t hold back as she pulled her top off in fluid movement before pressing kisses down onto her body.

They took their time as they went. In the past they had gone hard and fast but this time was different. They whispered sweet nothing’s between kisses as their fingers gently touched each other’s bodies. The love making itself was slow and gentle and beautiful, making them want to stay in that moment forever. It left them both calling out each other’s names before being thoroughly satisfied, as they fell asleep in each other’s arms, naked as the day they were born.

***some time later***

Emma had been feeling off for a few days. She and Jules had still been trying for a baby, but she hadn’t wanted to get her hopes, or Jules’ for that matter. Meaning she hadn’t told him that she’d gone out and brought a pregnancy test. She now found herself standing in the bathroom, anxiously waiting for the pregnancy test to show a result. Jules, to her knowledge was still fast asleep on the bed in the next room.

Finally enough time had passed and she took the test in her hand and looked at it. On seeing what was on the screen, her eyes widened as she gasped, her hand covering her mouth. “Em, you good?” A voice said from behind her. Turning, she found Jules standing in the doorway, his hair messy from sleep and a look of concern on his face. “Jules… Julian we are going to have a baby” she said, her head still trying to get round the fact this was happening and how she felt about it.

Jules just stood there without reacting which worried Emma. “Jules, say something. Anything. Please” she whispered, panic slightly in her voice. Instead Jules silently entered the room, dropped to his knees and rested his forehead on her tummy, quietly whispering “hello baby” which made Emma smile as she ran her fingers threw his hair, smiling at the moment.

One week later, they decided they couldn’t keep it to themselves any more. Initially they had wanted to wait the full three months but knew they would struggle, so each decided to Choose one person who was important to them and asked if they could have a talk somewhere private. Jules had chosen Helen, and Emma had chosen Cristina.

As Cristina and Helen sat in the couple’s bed, they found themselves smiling. Both Jules and Emma had been in a wonderful mood all week and both girls suspect that they were about to find out why. Jules and Emma had spent ages trying to figure out how they were going to break the news but decided that they would just straight up tell them. Jules stood with a very happy Emma at his side. “We have something to tell you” he said and Helen mocked surprise. “Oh I didn’t realize!” She exclaimed making everyone laugh. Unable to contain their announcement any longer, Emma went “we are going to have a baby!” Which was followed by some very excited screaming and hugging from Helen and Cristina. Once they managed to control themselves, the questions started.

***Two months later***

Emma sat up, her hand over where their baby was. Jules was in the bathroom brushing his teeth as she called out “Jules, something doesn’t feel right with the baby” which caused Jules to run out, toothpaste still round his mouth and a look of horror on his face. “I’ll take you to the silent brother’s. Text Cristina and Helen to cover us” he said, regaining calm and control. Emma on the other hand was just panicking.

Jules did his best to keep them both calm as he drove them there, although he knew it was useless. On arrival he took her hand in his, promising to never let go. Walking in and having been assigned a silent brother, they went into a room for investigation. As Emma had gotten herself so worked up, Jules did most of the talking, with Emma adding a few details.

Once the silent brother had finished his investigation, he looked at both Jules and Emma, both of which had a horrible feeling they would not like what he was about to say. “I’m sorry. You’ve had a miscarriage. You’ve lost your baby” the silent brother informed them and in that moment they both just broke. Where Emma burst into tears, Jules felt himself break from the inside. Neither of them rembered the journey back, all he remembered was texting Helen and Cristina saying they needed to talk. Emma silently cried the entire way back.

As they pulled into the institute they saw Helen and Cristina waiting for them. Jules managed to get Emma out the car and took her to the waiting pair, saying “take her somewhere private. She needs you” just as Emma’s crying turned to sobbing as she finally fell apart. Gently the other two girls took Emma to her room, leaving Jules to return to the car and finally cry the tears he needed to.

Between her tears Emma managed to tell the other two what had happened. Helen held Emma tight, not sure what to say. Cristina promised to give both Jules and Emma time to heal from their heartbreak, and would keep the other Blackthorn’s and away from the couple for as long as they needed. Feeling like Emma was in safe hands, Helen eventually left her with her friend to find her brother. He was still in the car crying. Silently she got in and held him going “hey it’s ok I got you”. Jules initially pulled away. He hated people seeing him this way and feeling like they needed to look after him. “Jules I understand you are angry and upset. Please let me take away some of the pain” she said softly. Jules just looked as his sister with big watery eyes before hugging her going “why us Helen? It’s not fair” and found himself opening up for the first time in years, allowing himself to be vulnerable.

Neither Jules not Emma knew exactly what Helen and Cristina told their family about what had happened, they just knew that they were given the time they needed to heal from the pain, without any questions or unwanted attention. When they felt ready to return, not a single Blackthorn asked where they had been for which they were grateful. Yes there was still pain in there hearts but they still felt ready to face reality again.


	2. Chapter 2

***the second attempt***

Time had passed since the miscarriage and Jules and Emma decided that they were able to try again for a baby. Although the memory still haunted them, they didn’t want it to hold them back. It took them a couple of attempts but they soon were successful, with a pregnancy confirmed by a pregnancy test and a silent brother.

Having already suffered a miscarriage, it was safe to assume that both Emma and Jules we’re more cautious the second time round, scared to get their hopes up. When Emma fell pregnant again, there was an element of anxiety along with excitement. They agreed to again tell Helen and Cristina, knowing how much they had relied on them the first time round. “It will be better this time” Helen found herself saying, more for her brother than anything else.

Two months into the pregnancy brought them straight back to their first pregnancy with all the heartbreak that had been all too present. Even with the comfort of Helen and Cristina, there had been a period of time in which they stopped enjoying the pregnancy.

Much to their relief, they reached the third month, which gave them a sense of hope that, maybe this pregnancy would have a better result. Hugging Emma from behind and softly kissed her temple. “We should probably tell the rest of our family sooner rather than later. I much suspect Ty and Livvy are onto us and will soon work out you’re pregnant” he said softly.

The announcement was made later that day. They had gone to dinner, with the entire family babbling about their day, and what their plans for the evening and the following day were. Throughout it all, both Emma and Jules had remained oddly quiet, sand it wasn’t until dessert that Livvy called them out on it. Taking Emma’s hand in his and giving her a quick look, Jules took a deep breath and went “Emma and I are expecting a baby. We’re going to be parents” which caused an eruption of noise.

Livvy promptly started babbling about being an Auntie and all she wanted to do with her new niece or nephew, and Helen and Cristina came over and hugged the couple, quietly saying how they deserved the child. Ty seemed unsure how to react. He was happy his brother seemed happy, but wasn’t sure how a new baby would affect his routine. Tavvy promptly clambered onto Jule’s lap asking about his new brother or sister which made Jules smile.

“You won’t have a new sibling Tavs, you’ll be an Uncle. The baby will your niece or nephew” Jules explained which Tavvy seemed most satisfied with. Slipping off Jule’s lap, he made a move to go, but not before gently touching Emma’s tummy going “hello baby Blackthorn, I’m your Uncle Tavvy” which made Emma’s heart melt as it was one of the cutest things she’s seen him do. Mark it seemed couldn’t control his excitement and was just so excited. He’d practically freaked at the news with his excitement. When Jules glanced at his brother, he was hugging Kieran and jumping up and down screaming “I’M GOING TO BE AN UNCLE” which made Jules grin get bigger.

Dru promptly made Jules promise her that she would’t be the designated babysitter, which he did. That seemed to allow Dru to be highly excited as she joined Livvy in her Auntie glee. Dru’s promise it seemed had triggered a bit of an argument with Cristina, Helen and Mark on who would be the actual babysitter, as they all wanted to lay claim on the job. Emma leant over and rested her head on Jule’s shoulder, watching the families reaction.

Eventually the family seemed to calm down, and go their separate ways. Before they were able to go, Mark sat down, beaming at the pair, as he rested his head on the table. “Soooo….Parents” he said, which Jules nod. By the angel it was going take some for him to get used to that. “Yes…Parents” Jules replied. “How does it feel to hear that?” Mark asked and for one of the few times in his life Jules was lost for words. Normally it was only Emma who had that effect. “It’s weird but in a good way. I think it will take some getting used to” Emma answered and both boys seemed to nod.

“What made you decide to be parents? That it was the right time to have a baby?” Mark then asked and this time, it was Jules who answered. “It was the day Helen and Aline came back to us. We were exchanging embarrassing childhood stories and when Tavvy asked why I had done it, I put it down to ‘Dad Privileges’ and later that night, Emma asked if I would like to be a Dad and after some discussion we decided that it was something we both wanted and started trying”. They had suspected that this, or something similar would come up, and they agreed that they would act like this was the first time Emma had fallen pregnant. Although they had healed from the miscarriage, they both found it difficult to talk about.

Mark still had loads of questions, but finally they decided manage to answer them all. Having given them both a hug, they went their separate ways. Emma was sure she heard him mutter something like “I can’t believe I’m going to be an Uncle” which made her smile softly. They were on their way back to their room they found them being being ambushed by Livvy. Despite having not had the news all that long ago, she’d fully embraced the fact she was going to be an Auntie.

She’d already made a start on a huge list of what she wanted to do with her niece or nephew and spoke about it with enthusiasm that it it lifted the hearts of Emma and Jules. It was safe to say that this baby would have not only the love of their parents, but of all their Aunts and Uncles. Yes, this child would have a very good life, there was no doubt about it. Finally, Livvy had got to the end of her list, and said that she still had loads of ideas to add. “Best leave you to it Livs” Jules said, gently pressing a light kiss to his sisters forehead before leaving with Emma.

***one month later***

Four months into the pregnancy, and the feelings of optimism and hope that both Jules and Emma had started to feel, because they felt that they were able to have this baby were suddenly and brutally shattered. Emma had woken up in the middle of the night, with pain across her stomach. She felt her panic begin to rise as she shook Jules awake going “Somethings wrong. It feels off. The same as last time Julian. Julian we’re going to lose our baby again!” and the fear in her voice was obvious.

Where Jules had managed to keep things together during the last miscarriage, he hadn’t been able to do the same this time. On the drive to the silent brothers, Emma curled herself up and simply cried, and Jules could feel his own tears running down his face. “Why us?” he thought, “why again?”. Although he tried to cling onto a shred of hope that this wasn’t the worst case scenario they were expecting, he struggled to believe it.

The process was the same as the first time round, with the Silent Brother asking questions whilst investigating Emma. When the verdict was given, with the Silent Brother informing them “It is as you expected, you have had a miscarriage”, the reaction from both Jules and Emma showed just how much they were hurting. Emma seemed to curl into herself as she cried, for the baby and for them. Jules looked horrified before kneeling on the floor going “no no no” over and over again.

Neither Jules nor Emma remembered the journey back, but before long they found themselves sitting on the beach, hugging and crying. The pain of the second miscarriage was so much more the second time round, as they really had hoped this time they would have their baby. There was also the fact that they had to tell the rest of the family the bad news of what had happened. After about half an hour Emma managed to text Helen and Cristina, asking them to come to the beach as they needed to talk.

When the other two arrived, it just took one look at the grieving couple to know what had happened. “Why them? If anyone deserves a child it’s Jules and Emma” Helen said softly and Cristina could only agree. Without saying anything, they just joined the couple, holding them as they cried and said whatever they needed to. Not surprisingly, things just got to much for Jules, and he got up and started walking away. Helen made a move to follow her brother, but he just turned and in a voice that showed how vulnerable he was went “please, I just need a moment” which Helen allowed him.

“Emma, sweetie. I have an idea. Obviously you and Jules will need time to heal so I was thinking. Why don’t you both go and stay with Jem and Tessa to give yourselves a change of scenery and to get away from everything for however long you need. Helen and I will go back to the Institute and explain everything and all you two need to do is pack” she said. Emma thought about her friends words before saying “I’ll talk to Jules but I like that idea” she said, then got up and walked over to Jules who was further down the beach to talk to him.

“They don’t deserve this. After everything they’ve been through, to have not one but two miscarriages is just cruel” said Helen. Cristina nodded her agreement before going “but when they do have a child, you can guarantee it will be incredibly loved and looked after” which only made Helen look at her with a raised eyebrow. “You think they will try again?” Helen asked. She knew how badly the couple wanted a child and that they were strong, but knew that this sort of pain might cause doubt, and potentially put them off trying for another child for fear of yet another miscarriage. “Yes. They will be cautious and will worry but I think they will when they have healed and the time is right” Cristina said as the couple came back, agreeing to the idea.

As agreed, Helen and Cristina headed back to the Institute. The rest of the Blackthorn’s, with the exception of Tavvy had already gathered for breakfast. With them being her family, Helen had asked to be the one to tell them, which Cristina agreed to. “Guys I have something I need to tell you” Helen said, and with that alone, they all fell silent, knowing that whatever Helen had to say was serious. “As you all know, Jules and Emma were expecting a baby and we were all very excited about it. Unfortunately Emma woke up last night with pains and knew something wasn’t quite right. As a result, they made a trip to the Silent Brothers who confirmed that Emma had suffered a miscarriage” she started, and at that, several people gasped, and they all looked slightly horrified. Mark looked almost sick.

“Naturally they are both very upset and are hurting, so will be spending some time with Jem and Tessa to give them time to heal. I hope you can all appreciate that this is something that they needed” she finished, and her words were met with a heavy silence. No one liked the idea of the family being separated but acknowledged that sometimes it was a necessity.

Whilst Helen and Cristina were dealing with the rest of the of the family, Jules and Emma had slipped in and were currently packing a few things for their short stay with Jem and Tessa. Cristina had called them on the walk back to the Institute and they were both more than happy for Jules and Emma to stay for as long as they needed. The packing had made been hard for Jules, not only because it acted as a painful reminder as to why he needed the time away but also meant he would have to spend time away from his brothers and sisters. This had caused him to start crying again.

It was then he heard a set of footsteps heading towards his room. “Dammit” he whispered, as he furiously tried to rub his eyes and hide the fact the had been crying. The door opened and Tavvy walked in asking “Jules where are….why are you sad?”. Scooping his brother up, Jules sat on his bed, with his brother on his lap. Holding his brother tightly he went “you know how Emma was having a baby Tavs?” he asked, and Tavvy nodded, a serious look on the small boys face. “Well something happened and shes no longer having a baby” Jules said, his voice thick with emotion.

“It was your baby too, wasn’t it Jules? Is that why you are sad?” Tavvy asked and all Jules could do was get out a small “yeah” in response. Doing the only thing he knew, Tavvy turned and gave Jules a really tight hug before slipping off Jules’s lap and instructing him to stay where he was, which he did. Tavvy left the room, only to return with a toy lion. Handing it to his older brother, he went “it makes me happy and I want you to have it. I hope you can be happy now”. Clutching the toy to his heart, Jules knelt down and softly kissed his brother on the forehead and whispered “thank you Tavs”.

Once they were both packed and were about to leave, they were stopped by Mark. “Helen told us what happened. I’m so sorry you had to go through this, I really am. Honestly take as long as you need and come back when you are ready, we can hold the fort whilst you are gone” he said, and pulled them both in for a hug, before turning and returning, allowing them both to leave. They walked in silence, but were both holding hands the entire time.

Having arrived, Emma knocked on the door which was opened by Jem, who let them in with a look of sympathy on his face. “I’m not going to pretend that I understand your pain as I don’t, neither of us do. But we do understand the pain of losing someone who care about, and understand what it is to grieve and mourn. If there is anything we can do, please let us know” Jem said. Emma gave a weak smile saying “the fact you are letting us stay is kind enough Jem” she said.

For the first couple of days, Emma and Jules cried the tears they needed to and sought comfort from each other, with Tessa bringing them food and encouraging them to eat. Eventually they started to heal, with Emma spending hours talking with Jem, about how both she and Jules were feeling and thinking. Jem just listened and gave her the time and space to say what she needed to. Jules drew a lot. Sometimes he sat outside and drew various things in their garden, sometimes he drew Emma and sometimes he drew what he imagined his child to look like.

Emma had asked why he would do that to himself, and he simply replied that it helped him process what had happened, which she accepted. A week later, they felt strong enough to go back to the Institute. The atmosphere on their return was a strange one to say the least. There was excitement that they had returned (partly because they had been missed, and partly because it was a sign that they were healing) but also a slight fear. Although they had healed from their pain, there was still pain, and nobody wanted to say the wrong thing and upset them. The fact everyone just wanted to get back to normal, but also to look after Jules and Emma was a very difficult challenge indeed.


	3. Chapter 3

***the third attempt***

As Cristina had predicted, once time had passed, Jules and Emma tried for another baby. Given that they had gone through two miscarriages they knew not to get their hopes up, and were being incredibly cautious and not leaving anything to chance. When Emma learnt that she was in fact expecting, She and Jules decided to make regular visits to the silent brothers to monitor their child. Like with the previous two children, Helen and Cristina were the first two know.

Telling them had been a strange conversation, as yes there was happiness but there was also the memory of what had happened to their last two babies. But when Helen whispered to Jules “It will be better this time” there was something in his heart that believed his older sister. As the saying went, “third time lucky” and by the angel Jules had never wanted a saying to be true more than he did in that moment.

At three months, Jules and Emma decided to tell the rest of their family of the pregnancy. There was excitement of course, but everyone waited to see how Jules and Emma were before they showed the excitement they felt. The memory of the miscarriage was still in everyone’s mind as well as the pain that it had brought with it. It was Tavvy who allowed everyone to react. Tavvy had known that Emma had been pregnant but had lost the baby, and that it had been an upsetting time, but he did not understand the full extent of the situation.

As a result, he saw no problem in running around screaming “BABY!” very excitedly. Emma couldn’t help but smile at Tavvy’s reaction, as Jules pulled a very happy Tavvy in for a cuddle. Looking at his family with a smile on his face, Jules went “it’s OK to be excited because Emma and I are expecting a baby, but I think it would be wise given everything that’s happened, not to get ahead of ourselves” and that’s when the smiles and hugs started.

Both Jules and Emma had been expecting the fourth month to be emotionally difficult as it had been during the fourth month of their last pregnancy that the miscarriage had happened, and all the memories came back. But as it turned out, things ended up being a lot better than anyone had been expecting. They had gone for one of their regular checkups with the silent brother, when they received news that neither of them could have possibly imagined. “And you have been perfectly well?” the Silent Brother asked.

“Yes…is something wrong?” Emma asked, panic rising in her voice. “No, but you are expecting twins” the Silent Brother informed them. There was a pause before Jules softly kissed Emma’s forehead going “Twins Emmy, by the angel I hope they turn out like Ty and Livvy” which made Emma smile and lean into him. “That would be nice” she said softly. After so many set backs and heartbreaks, it was amazing for them to get some good news.

A couple of days later, they found themselves in front of their family, with Jules’s arm around Emma’s waist. “We got an update on the baby” Jules said, and paused, looked at Emma. “Or should we say babies” she finished, and allowed the rest of them to work out what her words meant. It was Ty who worked it out first by looking at Livvy going “they will be like us Livs” which caused Livvy to jump up and down and clap. That was enough for the rest of them to work it out. All of them except Tavvy who just looked confused, and upset that he didn’t understand. Kneeling down next to his brother and pulled him close going “Emma and I are going to have twins” he said, which made Tavvy’s face light up.

At the end of the fourth month, Emma had been sitting on the bed when she gasped. Jules looked at her and panicked but having seen a small smile on her face, he calmed down. Emma glanced at him going “I just felt our babies move” she said, and almost on cue, she felt them kick again. From then on, Jules had been desperate to feel their babies move for himself. He could always tell when Emma could feel them as she’d smile to herself for a moment.

At five months pregnant, Emma took Jules’s hand simply placed it on her bump. Jules looked confused but then he felt something against his palm. His eyes widened as he felt the bump again. But it was when Ema took his other hand and placed it on another part on her bump and he felt a kick from his other child, did he start crying. Given everything they had been through to get children, to actually be able to feel not one, but two children had been more than he could possibly imagine.

Tavvy was the next person they let feel the kicks. Emma had been sitting on the sofa when it happened. “Hey Tavs come here a second” she said, and beckoned him over. “Are you OK Memma? Tavvy asked. Since the pregnancy announcement, Tavvy had started calling Emma ‘Memma’ again which made her heart melt. she smiled as she went “I’m fine, just give me you hands for a second” she said, which he did. Taking Tavvy’s small hands, she placed them on the bump where she felt the babies kicking. He just looked at her wide eyes.

From that point, everyone wanted to feel babies kick in Emma’s bump, which was all very sweet, as they all made sure to be very careful with her. Every single night before bed, Jules made sure to feel both babies before he fell asleep, which made Emma fall even more in love with him, which she hadn’t even known was possible.

Both Jules and Emma had been reluctant to prepare for their upcoming children for fear that they would loose them, but when they had gotten half way through, Helen and Cristina gently asked if they should start getting ready for the upcoming arrivals. They decided to start on the nursery (they decided that when the twins were really young they would share a room, as Ty and Livvy had done but as they got older would have rooms of their own) as that would take the most amount of work. Jules decided on a pale green should they have a boy and Emma went with purple for a girl.

On their next visit to the Silent Brothers, they asked for them to find out the gender of the twins, but instead of telling them, they asked them to write it on a piece of card, which they did. The entire drive home, Emma struggled to not read what was on the piece of card, but they eventually got back to the Institute and Emma was able to hand the card over to Helen and Cristina. “Well, that’s all fine and good but don’t you think we need stuff to go in the nursery?” Helen asked with a raised eyebrow. “It wouldn’t hurt to get a few things” Jules said (as they only thing they currently had was a crib big enough for both babies) and with that, they left.

The doors had scarcely closed the doors when Helen called out “Ok guys they’ve gone, we’ve got painting to do” and with that the family appeared (they had been discussing a surprise and needed to hide when Jules and Emma had returned) and they all headed up to paint the nursery and built the crib that had just been sitting in the middle of the room, still in it’s box. It was the first thing they had done for the upcoming arrivals and the excitement could be felt in the room. They had just enough to finish, change and wash when Jules and Emma returned.

“We’ve got something to show you” Helen announced and turned to leave, expecting the other two to follow. “You go, we’ll sort your stuff out” Mark said, who walked into the room, followed by Ty and Livvy. Knowing they wouldn’t take no for an answer, Jules and Emma handed the stuff over and followed Helen’s lead. The other three waited a few seconds before following them. They got to the nursery (which was next to the room Jules and Emma shared) when Helen stopped and asked “are you ready to find out the gender of your babies?” and all Jules and Emma could manage was nod. Helen opened the door and let them in.

Two of the rooms were painted green, with the other two painted purple. Emma looked at Helen with a look of surprise on her face. “We have one of each?” Emma asked, and realised it was a rather stupid question. Helen just smiled at Emma going “yes Emma, you’re expecting a boy and a girl”. Emma beamed and she felt Jules gently pressed a kiss to her temple, and rest his hand on her bump. “Guys where do you want the stuff?” Mark asked from the door. He, Ty and Livvy had brought the stuff upstairs and had been quietly watching their reaction.

A few days later, they went out for clothes, and no one knew how it happened but soon everyone decided that they wanted to go. Deciding to make the most of it, the decision was made that everyone could choose one thing for the twins, with Helen, Aline, Cristina, Livvy and Dru choosing something for their niece, and Mark, Kieran, Ty, Kit and Tavvy choosing something for their Nephew. Cristina and Kieran had been taken aback by the fact Emma and Jules had classed them as and Aunt and Uncle but Jules had shrugged going “you’re practically married to Mark anyway so you are as good as family” which made them smile. They’d had a similar conversation with Kit earlier in the day.

Emma had been looking at something when she stopped and grinned at Jules in a way that made him feel like he should be worried. She grabbed a unicorn onesie and held it up to show him, and they both laughed. “I never did suit that unicorn top you brought me, but I think our daughter will suit a unicorn much better” Jules said. He was still getting used to calling the babies growing in Emma his son and daughter but it was still a great feeling. Putting the onesie in the trolley, Emma leant over and gave Jules a quick kiss on the cheek. Jules soon found a dinosaur onesie and Emma almost died on how cute their son would look in it. Much to their delight the rest of the family came back with some great choices of clothing for the arrivals.

As it turned out, the twins were incredibly eager to meet their parents, and the rest of their family, and decided to come two weeks early. They had woken up, and had Emma had rested her head against Jule’s chest, with his hand resting on her rather sizeable bump. That was until there was a pain in a stomach. Looking up at Jules, she went “I think we are about to meet our babies Julian” and for a moment all Jules did was stare at her, not quite sure what to think, feel or react.

Somehow he managed to collect himself together enough to actually do something. He gave Jem and Tessa a call to let them know that Emma’s contractions had started. Jem told Jules to keep calm and to call again when the contractions were stronger and closer together. Given she had gone into labour, Emma was staying oddly calm about the entire thing. Julian on the other hand had gotten himself into a total flap and was panicking.

“Jules go make yourself useful and go tell Mark and Helen that it’s started and to keep the rest of them busy. And get the bag out of stuff we got ready out” Emma instructed, and Jules nodded and headed out the door, before saying “I won’t be long, and Emma? I love you, so much” and with that, he had gone. He didn’t really registered the route he’d taken but he soon found himself in a room with his eldest Brother and Sister. He hadn’t even said anything, they knew something was going on, as they were both on the feet and they had come over and joined him.

“Emma’s gone into labour” he said and after a pause he went “I’m going to be a Dad” which made them both laugh. Mark tightly hugged his brother going “you already are a Dad Julian. Now go back to your woman, and let us look after the rest” he said, and let Julian go. Jules was about to go, but not before Helen gave him a tight hug and a soft kiss on his head. Jules headed back to Emma, grabbing the bag on the way, and desperately trying to get his head round the fact that in a matter of hours, he was going to meet his babies.

A couple of hours later, Jules made a second call to Jem and Tessa asking them to the Institute. As they waited for the pair to arrive, Emma clung to Jules going “when they arrive, please don’t leave me. I can’t do this on my own” and he just held her, and promised that he wasn’t going anywhere. He found himself gently rubbing Emma’s back, not sure what else to do. Eventually there was a knock on the door and Jem and Tessa allowed themselves in. Having quickly gotten themselves ready, Jem went over to Emma going “can you get to the bed now Emma, we need to examine you?” and Emma nodded and with Jule’s help, got to the bed.

“You’re nearly fully dilated Emma but you still have a a bit more to go, then you will be able to start pushing” Jem said, which made Emma almost deflate back against Jules, who had sat behind her, with one leg on each side of her. “How much does it hurt Emma?” Jules asked and she squeezed so hard that he lost feeling and she managed to get out a “not much”. But if she had thought this part was painful, she had no idea what was about to come when she started pushing.

Jules had always hated seeing Emma in pain. Apparently when they had been very young, Emma had fallen from the crib and had bust her lip. Emma seemed totally unfazed by the entire thing, but Jules had burst into tears and had screamed until their parents had arrived. But sitting on the bed, with Emma gripping onto his arms for dear life and screaming as she pushed was just awful, and Jules found himself on the verge of tears as he saw the woman he loved in so much pain, and there was nothing he could do, and it was destroying him.

Jules wasn’t sure how long Emma had been screaming, but soon her scream’s stopped and was replaced by a babies cry. Jem was quick to place the baby onto Emma’s chest going “meet your daughter” and Jules took one look at her and burst into tears. There was a slight tuft of blonde hair and when she looked up at her parents, it was big wide Blackthorn eyes. “By the Angel Emma she’s beautiful” Jules managed to get out, and all Emma could do was nod. She was tired from pushing out a baby and still had another baby to push out. Soon Jem cut the umbilical cord and handed the child over to Tessa to wash and weigh, and turned back to Emma who was getting the urge to push again.

It seemed that their son was eager to be reunited with it’s sister and before long, Jem had handed them their baby boy, who was the male version of his sister with blonde hair and Blackthorn eyes. Once Jem and Tessa had checked both children and announced that although early they were healthy, and had sorted the last bit of the birth, and ensured that Emma was doing well, they silently left the room. Emma sat there, leaning against Jules with a baby in each arm just looking at them. “Emma we made these” Jules said softly and Emma gave him a funny look and went “yeah well who did all the work?” and Jules was too emotional to even get upset.

“What shall we name them?” Emma then asked and after a pause Jules went “I was thinking Caleb Arthur for our son” he said, and it felt so strange for him to say that out loud. “Caleb Arthur Blackthorn, I think it suits him” Emma said, looking down at him. There was a pause and Emma went “I was thinking we call our daughter Milly Livia” she said, and Jules found himself swallowing a lump in his throat. Before the twins were even a thought, Livvy had been seriously injured and they had nearly lost her, but Livvy had defied the odds and survived. It seemed fitting that they should honor his brave warrior sister by naming his beautiful daughter after her. “You know we will never hear the end of it, but it’s a price I’m willing to pay. Livvy is a worthy namesake and it’s a fitting name. Welcome to the world Milly Livia Blackthorn” Jules said.

Emma managed to successfully feed both twins before Jules settled them down to sleep. He had glanced back at Emma, only to see that she herself had fallen asleep. Kissing her gently, he slipped out the room to find his family. They were all in the living room when he walked in, and he found all eyes were on him. “Both babies have been delivered and are healthy and are doing well. As is Emma but she’s exhausted” Jules said, and there was a sigh of relief in the room.

“But what we all want to know is what you called them” Dru said and their were nods of agreement. Jules sat down and went “our daughter was born first” and with a slight glance at Livvy he added “we’ve decided to call her Milly Livia Blackthorn” and with that, Livvy promptly burst into tears and hugged her older brother. When she finally let him go, she asked “and what of her brother?” which made Jules smile. “He was eager to join his sister and Caleb Arthur Blackthorn was born shortly after” he informed them.

The love in the room for the two small Nephilim that only he’d met was so strong. “When can we meet them?” Mark asked, which was something they all wanted to know. “When Emma has rested from delivering them. It’ll probably be best that rather than all bursting in at once, you come in smaller groups” Jules said, and he didn’t hear a single disagreement. “Jules you should return to your family” Aline said gently and Jules was not going to say no to that.


	4. Chapter 4

Deciding that neither he nor Emma had the energy to entertain their family, even if they came in in smaller groups, Jules sent a message to Helen and Cristina asking if they would like like to do the honors of introducing the newest Blackthorns to their family, as both he, and especially Emma needed to rest. It took the pair no time at all to get to the room, and knock on the door. Jules opened the door to see the pair hardly able to contain their excitement. Indicating they needed to be quiet as Emma was asleep (waking a normal Emma was scary enough, but an Emma who had just delivered twins would be an entirely different thing) Jules slipped them into the room, and walked them over to his two children.

On seeing the sleeping babies, Cristina immediately clutched her hands to her heart, then hugged Jules whispering “oh Jules they are beautiful” whereas Helen had put her hand to her mouth and had started silently crying, not just because she had become and Aunt for the first time, but it was the closest she had been to seeing what she and Mark had been like as babies. Somehow she managed to get herself together, and scooped Milly into her arms, with Cristina picking up Caleb and the slipped out the room. Jules lay back on the bed and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

Carefully the two girls walked back to the rest of the family, with the sleeping babies in their arms. Sitting down, Helen quietly asked “would anyone like to meet their Niece and Nephew?” and of course they did. Having established who was holding which child, Livvy went straight to Helen and asked to hold her niece, the child who shared her name. Getting Livvy to sit down in a chair, Helen carefully put the child in Livvy’s arms. Livvy took one look at her and just whispered “Oh she’s gorgeous. Jules and Emma really do know how to make a cute baby” she said which made Helen, Kit, Ty and Dru (who had come to see their Niece) smile. Mark, Kieran, and Tavvy had gathered around Cristina to meet Caleb, and Cristina had looked at Mark and asked “Would you like to give your Nephew a cuddle Mark?” Without really saying anything, Mark nodded and carefully took the child in his arms, memories of holding Tavvy suddenly coming back to him.

Once everyone had met and most people had given the twins a cuddle, Helen and Cristina returned Milly and Caleb to their sleeping parents. Having left the new family, Helen went to Cristina “I am glad for them that they finally got their children, and not just one baby but twins. They have been through so much heartbreak, and they so deserve this” and Helen could only agree with her. The certainly did deserve the two sleeping babies that Emma had given birth to earlier that day. When Emma finally woke up, it was to find Jules crying which concerned Emma a great deal. “Jules, babe, what’s wrong” she asked gently. Jules just looked at her going “Em… we have babies. Finally. Kids. Em.”

Emma just leant over and hugged Jules really tightly. “We made children and they are beautiful Jules. We did that” and there was just a silence, with them trying to come to terms with the fact they were finally parents. “Helen and Cristina took the babies to meet their Aunts and Uncles” Jules said, and Emma smiled. “I’m glad. Those children are going to be so loved by so many people” she said. Almost as though they knew they were being talked about, Milly started crying, to be followed by Caleb, demanding their mother feed them. As Emma sat there with Milly happily feeding away, she took one look at Jules going “this is our lives now Jules, we have two babies to look after” and they knew they would not change it for the world.

As much as Jules and Emma tried to get their twins into some sort of routine, it was difficult as they had been born slightly earlier than expected. For the first few years of their lives, the twins did not sleep well at night, meaning that neither did Jules and Emma. Seeing that the couple had become full time parents, and were being sleep deprived, Mark, Helen and Cristina insisted that they would be able to run the institute and Jules and Emma simply focus on raising the children they had spent so much time wanting. Given their sleep deprivation, it became a regular occurrence for the family to find one of them sat somewhere with their child attached to them, fast asleep. This lead to a competition of who could get a photo of the new parents in the weirdest sleeping spot.

Its not that the twins didn’t sleep, it’s just that they didn’t sleep for very long. When the twins were put down to sleep next to each other, they would instinctively just hold hands with each other, something which made their parents melt. “You and Emma would do that when you were babies” Helen informed Jules which just made him melt. But the twins lack of regular sleep had a huge impact of the parents. Initially it would be them sleeping wherever they could, but soon it got to the point where the rest of the family grew concerned over how little the couple were sleeping in their attempt to get the twins into a regular sleeping pattern.

Soon, Helen, Mark and Cristina decided to take maters into their own hands. “We’ll look after Milly and Caleb for a couple of hours, whilst you two get get some sleep” Helen informed them, and the look of both horror at being parted from their children, and the relief of sleep was clear. “But what about feeding?” Emma asked, nervously chewing her lip. She’d tried to breast feed as much as she could, but they had quickly accepted that they would have to use formula on occasion as it wasn’t possible to breast feed the twins all the time. It did mean that Jules could get more involved in raising the twins, and could give Emma a bit of a break.

Mark shrugged “Ty’s been reading up on how to look after babies, and his reading has included how to make the formula” he explained, making Jules smile. It sounded very much like something his brother would do. “He’s been telling me stuff. I remember Tavvy being born but I honestly don’t remember enough and I’m scared of doing stuff wrong. But thanks to Ty I think I’ll manage” Mark added. Jules just looked at Emma going “what do you think Em? I’m Ok with it if you are” and Emma just gave a tired nod of approval before going “Just look after my babies” which of course the other three immediately assured them they would.

Initially, the Blackthorns decided to keep the twins inside during their break from their parents, but they soon realised that wasn’t the best idea. Every time one of the babies cried, their parents would wake and would try and calm down their crying child, because all their parental instincts had were very much present. In an attempt to address this, and to actually allow Jules and Emma to get some sleep, the Blackthorn’s set a play mat up outside, covered by some umbrella’s and took the twins there, making sure the windows to their parents room were closed. Despite setting up an area for the twins to play, both Milly and Caleb spent more time being cuddled by their aunts and uncles, not that either of them seemed to show any indication that they didn’t want the attention. If anything, they seemed to love the attention from the rest of the family.

Wanting to make sure that everyone got a cuddle with at least one of the twins, Cristina picked Caleb up and place him in Kieran’s arms, causing Kieran to freeze slightly, but Caleb didn’t seemed to sense Kieran’s panic and leaned into his chest. Kieran found himself looking down at the baby in arms, and despite himself he thought “oh this is really sweet”. But it was when Caleb took his hands and held one of his fingers. Kieran glanced up and his eyes met Mark and Cristina’s and he smiled. It was then when Jules and Emma arrived to collect their children. Kieran looked up at them with a small smile saying “your son is the most precious thing ever. Aside from Mark and Cristina.” It was the softest Jules and Emma had seen Kieran.


End file.
